The Green Parent

by Ethan Ewing, www.bills.com If you’re like many Americans, you’re probably looking for ways to trim costs while the economy is in a down turn.  According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average American home will spend $990 on heating this year.  Create a little breathing room in your budget with these 7 tips for [...]

According to the , about 29 million Americans brought home a real, live Christmas tree in 2006. But that still pales in comparison to the 70% of Americans who prefer to set up an artificial tree.  So which is greener?  Here’s how to make sure your Christmas tree is eco-friendly: The Green Parent Pick: Go [...]

There’s still time to enter to win a Weatherproofing Kit from Niagara Conservation.  Click here to enter. the eagle movie Weatherproofing 101: Doors by Mark Furst, Grading Spaces Most issues with doors are due to gasket problems, either missing pieces or the door itself being poorly adjusted and not hitting the gasket right. A common [...]

Tax season is just around the corner and it’s time to pay the piper. But if you were savvy enough to invest your green stuff in green stuff last year…you may not have to cough up as much at tax time. Surf over to the Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency for details on all [...]

Just how green is your favorite candidate? Check out these fast facts to learn where each candidate stands on the top eco-issues currently under debate. Hillary Clinton Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Supports a cap-and-trade system to cut U.S. emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050 Renewable Energy: Proposes $50 billion 10-year fund to invest in renewable [...]

Are you flushing money (and the environment) down the toilet? In the typical American household, 35 to 45% of all of the drinkable (or potable) water is used to flush the toilet. Older model toilets are the worst offenders, using 7-10 gallons of water with each flush. Newer models are slightly more conservative, using between [...]

We are not even halfway through the school year and already I have been inundated with forms and catalogs from my daughter’s school for fundraisers that almost always include low-quality foods, junk, or paper products that I neither need nor want. Stuff that is designed to clog up my closets while depleting resources and inevitably [...]

It’s that time of year where we all reflect back on the past 12 months and make a plan for the months to come. If you’re ready to really make a difference in 2008, try making a promise to go easy on the planet with one (or all) of these Green Parent New Year’s Resolutions: [...]

Whether you like lights that are white or multi-colored, make them green with LED lights that use 90% less energy and last much longer than traditional bulbs. LEDs don’t heat up like standard bulbs…so they stay cooler, are safer for kids, and pose less risk of fires. And if one bulb does break or burn [...]

Green thinking is everywhere these days, in your appliances, in your favorite movies, in your kid’s school, and yes, now in your menorah. There is a movement underway, launched by the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) called Let There Be (Renewable) Light: A New Look At Hanukkah that offers eco-savvy tips to [...]

Nothing says “Happy Halloween” like a pumpkin. Whether it’s carved or painted, spooky or silly, a pumpkin is a tried and true symbol of the Halloween festivities. They are ridiculously versatile…you can use them as decorations, as side dishes, and even as inspiration for your costume. And growing pumpkins is even good for the environment. [...]

I recently wrote about the exploits of Manny Howard, who attempted to grow all of the food he needed for his family of four in his 20 x 40 foot Brooklyn backyard. And while Manny’s experiment went beyond the limits of extreme, it was indicative of the growing national trend to eat locally. Eating locally [...]

The office water cooler is an excellent place for gossip, but not so great for the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Water coolers use 4 billion kilowatts of energy each year, producing annual pollution roughly equivalent to the emissions of over 700,000 cars. In addition, the agency estimates that Americans spend $300 million [...]

I spend a lot of time “eco-nagging” my daughters. Whether it’s “please turn off the light,” or “DO NOT stand there with the refrigerator door open,” I am constantly pestering them use less energy…a concept that I’ll admit can be somewhat abstract to children. A great way to teach kids about energy consumption is to [...]

There are tons of exciting new green options for folks interested in building or remodeling their home. Even if you aren’t going to DIY your project, take a look at the U.S. Green Building Council’s website. The USGBC has develed an eco-savvy rating system called LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) that serves as [...]